Page 42 of Vow

And himself.

He had to protect himself, too.

• • •

The voices of Andino’s family filtered out from behind him even as he left the mansion’s dining room. They’d been debating and going over the Calabrese deal for longer than he figured was necessary.

It was done.

It would happen.

Or so they think.

Andino had his own plans to work on. He didn’t think anyone even noticed him leaving the dining room, which was just fine with him. He had other things to deal with at the moment, and he no longer wanted to sit around and discuss the fucking Calabrese, or his newly arranged marriage to Ginevra.

Who he didn’t even know.

It wasn’t long before Andino stepped outside the mansion onto the large marble steps. He glanced up at the inky sky, and ignored the cold biting at his skin beneath the silk dress shirt he wore. He hadn’t even bothered to throw on his coat.

He wouldn’t need it.

“Pink!”

Like the good enforcer he was, Pink materialized out of practically thin air. Despite his size, the enforcer was good at blending in and keeping out of sight unless he needed to be seen. He followed Andino around—or whoever he was directed to watch by Andino—daily, and he rarely even saw the man.

A lit cigarette dangled from the man’s mouth as he asked, “What can I do for you, boss?”

Andino eyed the cigarette. “Didn’t Antony make rules about you all smoking on the property?”

Pink shrugged. “It’s been a long day.”

Wasn’t that the fucking truth?

Andino let the cigarette thing go.

For now.

“Where’s Snaps?”

“Sleeping in the back of the Lexus,” the enforcer replied. “I turned it on.”

“Good, good.”

Pink took one last drag from his smoke, and then stubbed it against the heel of his boot. Wordlessly, he dropped the butt into his pocket. “So, what’s up?”

“I need you to do something for me. I don’t want word going beyond you and me about it. Like usual, you report back to only me about what’s happening, and what I want to know. Got it?”

“Sure. What do you need me to do?”

It was time to put Andino’s plans in motion. Or rather, some of them. Sometimes, shit just worked out for him. His father liked to say he was a lucky fuck like that, but Andino didn’t know if that was actually the case or not.

Either way, it was time to get started.

“I need you to follow Siena Calabrese for me. Report back on where she goes on a daily basis, who she talks to, and what she’s doing.” Andino shoved his hands in his pockets in an effort to keep out the cold. His fingertips had already turned numb. Maybe he should have grabbed his coat. “I will be specifically interested in knowing if she starts to do anything different—say, joins a gym … or something.”

Yes, or something.

That worked.